Huskers win 2024 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic

For the first time since the San Juan Shootout in 2000, the Nebraska men’s basketball program has an in-season tournament championship.

Led by Brice Williams’ 25 points (6 of 6 from the free throw line), seven rebounds, four assists and two steals, the Huskers cruised to a 78-66 victory over the Oregon State Beavers on Christmas Day.

NU (10-2, 1-1 in Big Ten) can now leave Honolulu with the 2024 Hawaiian Airlines Diamond Head Classic title.

“Like we told our guys, we just don’t get many opportunities in life to play for championships, and this was a big tournament for us,” head coach Fred Hoiberg told the Huskers Radio Network after the game.

Notable benefits of a tournament win like this include a true road win over host Hawaii and a (for now) Quad 1 neutral-site win over Oregon State, which entered the game with a NET rating of 43 (Nebraska’s was 52). ).

“I’m just really proud of the guys that found a way to muster the energy and play our best basketball in the last five minutes,” Hoiberg said.

That five-minute Hoiberg reference had a lot to do with the strong defense and Williams.

NU’s defense held OSU to just 40% shooting for the entire game, and the Huskers outscored OSU 31-24, becoming just the second team to outscore the Beavers this season. But OSU made nine 3-pointers, which helped them hang on. Four different OSU players each made two triples.

But starting at the 5:32 mark of the second half, when he had a 61-56 lead, Williams took the lead and showed everyone that he was the best player on the court. The 6-7 guard scored 11 points over the period, including five game-winning free throws. He outscored OSU 11-10.

Williams has scored 57 points in the last two games, 25 tonight and 32 on Monday. In three games, he averaged 22 points per game and was named tournament MVP.

“I was just aggressive, I wanted to let my defense lead the attack,” Williams said after the game. “I was fine and my team took the lead from then on.”

The game was a back-and-forth, low-scoring affair, with runs and points dropped on both sides. Neither team ever took control until Williams did his thing.

NU never trailed by more than four points in the first half and took a 34-32 lead at the break. There were 13 lead changes in the first ten minutes of the second half.

Several Huskers stepped up late to help NU take command. Sam Hoiberg hit his third three-pointer of the season to give NU a 48-47 lead. Andrew Morgan was another substitute who made an impact as his 1-1 shot extended the Husker lead to 51-49.

One player who perhaps had his best night as a Husker was Berke Buyuktuncel. The 6- to 10-year-old, who has overcome minor injuries, showed a diverse range of skills that made him one of the best international talents in his signing class.

Buyuktuncel finished his career with 16 points and three three-pointers, also a new career mark. He played defense and was also a rebounder, scoring six with an offensive board, resulting in a +1 putback.

Buyuktuncel scored eight points in both the first and second half.

“Both ends. I thought two days ago, against Hawaii, we finished the game with him in the five, and he fights against those fives as well as anyone on our team,” Hoiberg said of Buyuktuncel. “The fact that he knocks down those throws in the first half is a turning point for us. Hopefully he can do it and that will give him confidence. If Berke can destroy Dreier, it opens up a whole new world of possibilities for us.” performing different pieces to get him going.

Buyuktuncel had success getting into the painting and varnishing work. His and-1, in which he grabbed an offensive board and sank the putback while being fouled, gave NU a 54-51 lead. Not long after, he ran the court with Williams and hit a layup to give NU a six-point lead, 57-51.

Those plays contributed to a 10-2 run that extended the Husker lead to 61-53. But the Beavers never let up and NU’s offense stalled. During one stretch, six of seven shots missed. This allowed OSU to cut its 8-point deficit in half.

But then Williams put the Beavers away. NU finished the game on an 11-3 run.

Williams was named to the all-tournament team along with Buyuktuncel. Williams averaged 22 points on 56% shooting, along with 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in NU’s three games.

Hoiberg is the second head coach to win the Diamond Head Classic twice. His first win came in 2013 while coaching Iowa State.

Nebraska has one more non-conference game left before jumping into Big Ten play for the remainder of the season. The Huskers host Southern on Monday night with a late tip-off at 8 p.m

Southern is currently 5-7 and is on a three-game losing streak. Earlier this season, Southern Texas A&M led 39-25 at halftime before losing 71-54.

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